Quotes from Gudjon Bergmann

It is almost impossible to get anyone with a postmodern slant to say "I think" and stand by what follows, without making sure that the person listening understands, "Of course, there are other things to consider.

None of us understand the infinite universe. Most people who start thinking about it, get overwhelmed, shrug their shoulders, and turn their attention back to something mundane, like drinking beer or watching TV. Only a few great minds have ever actually contemplated the nature of the universe. Fewer still have done it without going insane.

but death can't be the final word, can it? I mean, look at this fire. The wood that we threw on it has been decimated, or so it seems, but in reality, the wood has been transformed into gasses and ashes. I think about that, you know, about how nothing is ever destroyed, but only changes form.

The term trans-rational is emblematic of a worldview within which rationality is included and transcended, not repressed or dismissed.

Regretful and negative thoughts about the past can effectively induce the same kind of fight or flight response that external threats stimulate.

Clear, direct and vibrant instructions will inject energy into the class, and create a feeling of safety for the students.

That's the problem, isn't it? Our youth enamored society hides death from us, makes us believe that we will live forever," Jack asserted, rather forcefully. "We don't want to see death. We even hide old people so that we don't have to be reminded of our own mortality. In other cultures, old age is celebrated, embraced even. Death is a part of life.

Some events in life are so overwhelming that people will experience stress no matter how good they are at controlling their minds in normal circumstances.

This tendency to defend a belief structure is true in all cases, even the rational. Never underestimate our ability to convince ourselves of what we wish to be true, especially if we have invested time and money in our beliefs.

rationality can easily unveil the futility of life and lead to depression—as the stereotype of the extremely smart, but world-weary, educated man (often portrayed as a detective, philosopher, or doctor) suggests. As such, the rational worldview has its limits.

Stop wishing that other people would act differently, either accept them for who they are or stop being around them.

Only direct experience of the peaceful internal state will remove doubt and provide enlightenment—not in a spooky, out-of-this-world kind of way, but in a rational, let's-turn-on-the-lights sort of way.

Fear and anger, the two emotions that most people came to him to reduce—emotions that he'd worked so hard to overcome in his own life—were fuel for politicians. Maybe candidates and congressmen thought that sowing discord among countrymen, even family members, was an unfortunate type of collateral damage. Maybe they didn't think about it at all.

Stop wishing that the traffic wasn't so heavy, you live here, this is rush hour, deal with it.

If you stick with the definition of spirituality as a peaceful internal state (a.k.a. deep, dreamless sleep while awake), then you will ignore some of the hallucinatory experiences that are bound to happen when you sit in silence (studies have shown that, in such circumstances, the mind often creates elaborate experiences and stories that are reminiscent of dreams) and refrain from interpreting them as something otherworldly.

Stop hoping for the weather to change, this is where you chose to live, either accept it or move.

When a person has developed an ongoing relationship with the peaceful internal state, then he or she will likely begin to display certain characteristics such as empathy, forgiveness, magnanimity, altruism, compassion, and benevolence. And when someone displays any of the above, we generally start speaking about that person as spiritual, even though he or she may not represent a religion of any kind.

When life vibrates at a harmonious frequency there is no need to seek something better. It's only when the rhythm of life is disrupted that people pay attention.

Instead of using therapy to try and reduce their fear and anger, people now celebrated these destructive emotions, labeling themselves as politically active rather than emotionally dysfunctional.

One myth that has become established in the self-development arena is that it only takes 21 days to form a new habit. This simply isn't true in all cases. Sometimes it takes a shorter time, sometimes a longer time, and sometimes old habits are so hard to break that new ones never take hold.

Self-confidence is built from the inside out and has little or nothing to do with outside circumstances.

A trans-rational definition of spirituality therefore encompasses these two elements. First, uncovering our peaceful internal center, and then, allowing that peace to guide our actions in the world.

Even if we did not create the acrimony, even if we weren't the ones who created the divide, we can be bridge-builders, healers, harmonizers, and a vital part of the solution.

For years I tried to help people with simple things, such as tension relief through breathing and relaxation, but all they wanted were the drugs. They wanted to numb themselves. They did not want to face their fears or feel better through their own efforts—and they certainly did not want to be illuminated.